Assad’s Escape: The Dramatic Fall of Damascus
The stunning collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria unfolded with breathtaking speed.On Sunday, December 8th, 2024, rebel forces seized control of Damascus, ending Assad’s 24-year rule. However, the president’s departure was far from a dignified surrender. According to multiple sources within the former regime, assad had already fled the country hours before the city fell.
Five former officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns, revealed a clandestine escape orchestrated in the shadows of the impending conflict. The night before the fall of Damascus, Assad reportedly instructed his close advisor, Buthaina Shaaban, to prepare a speech—a speech he never delivered. Instead, he secretly departed from Damascus airport, flying to Russia’s Hmeimim air base in Syria before continuing his flight to Moscow.
The secrecy surrounding the escape was profound. “Assad left even ‘without telling… his close confidants in advance’,” one former aide recounted. Another source described the scene: “From the Russian base, a plane took him to Moscow.”
The escape wasn’t limited to the president. His brother, Maher al-Assad, commander of the feared Fourth Brigade, learned of the president’s flight only by chance while defending Damascus. “He decided to take a helicopter and leave, apparently to Baghdad,” the former aide added.
“I was shocked.it was just the two of us in the office. The palace was almost empty, and we were totally confused.”
—A presidential palace official
The accounts paint a picture of chaos and disarray in the final hours of Assad’s rule. High-ranking officials and other sources corroborated the details of the president’s hasty exit, all emphasizing the need for anonymity due to ongoing security risks.
A Leaderless Nation
The timing of Assad’s flight is notably noteworthy. When Islamist-led rebel forces launched their offensive in northern Syria on November 27th, Assad was already in Moscow, where his wife, Asma, had been receiving cancer treatment. This suggests a preemptive escape, possibly indicating a growing awareness of the regime’s vulnerability.
The fall of Damascus marks a significant turning point in the long and brutal Syrian conflict. The implications for the region and the international community are far-reaching, and the world watches with bated breath to see what unfolds next.
Syria’s Collapse: Assad’s Absence Fuels Questions Amidst Rapid Rebel Advance
the swift fall of key Syrian cities to rebel forces in late November 2011 left many questioning the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad. Reports from within the presidential palace paint a picture of confusion and a startling lack of decisive action from the highest levels of government, culminating in the near-unopposed takeover of strategic cities like Aleppo, Hama, and Homs.
While Assad’s family, including his son Hafez, were reportedly in Moscow for a doctoral thesis defense on November 28th, the situation on the ground in Syria deteriorated rapidly. A presidential palace official confirmed, “Two days later, when their son Hafez was defending his doctoral thesis at a Moscow university, the whole family were there, but not Bashar, according to a presidential palace official.”
By November 30th, Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, had fallen to rebel forces. The following week witnessed the equally rapid collapse of Hama and Homs, leaving the path to Damascus open.
The absence of President Assad during this critical period became a central point of concern. A senior palace official stated, ”On Saturday Assad didn’t meet with us. We knew he was there, but did not have a meeting with him,” highlighting the growing unease within the government. The official continued, “We were at the palace, there was no clarification, and it caused great confusion at the senior levels and on the ground.Actually,we had not seen him since the fall of Aleppo,which was very strange.”
In an attempt to maintain control, Assad reportedly called a meeting of Syria’s intelligence chiefs.However, even this attempt at reassurance failed. The same top palace official noted, “But the longtime leader did not show up, and ‘Aleppo’s fall shocked us’.”
The lack of leadership extended to the military command. An army colonel described the chaotic situation in Hama: “On Thursday, I spoke at 11:30 am with troops in Hama who assured me the city was under lockdown and not even a mouse could make it in.” Though, just two hours later, a stunning reversal occurred. The colonel added, “Two hours later they received the order not to fight, and to redeploy in Homs to the south,” leaving the city vulnerable to rebel capture.
The collapse of Homs further underscored the lack of coordinated defense.”The soldiers were helpless, changing clothes, throwing away their weapons and trying to head home. Who gave the order? we don’t know,” the colonel explained.The governor of Homs confirmed the lack of resistance, stating to a journalist, “The governor of homs told a journalist that he had asked the army to resist. But no government forces defended the city.”
The events of that week highlight a critical failure of leadership and command within the Syrian government, raising serious questions about Assad’s role and the future of the conflict. The rapid succession of city falls served as a stark warning of the fragility of the regime and the growing power of the rebel forces.
Damascus Uprising: The Final Hours Before Assad’s Fall
The dramatic events leading up to the reported ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad unfolded over a tense weekend in Damascus, according to accounts from palace officials. The narrative reveals a chaotic scramble for details and control in the final hours before the rebels’ announcement.
The weekend began with preparations for a presidential address. “We started to set up the equipment. Everything was ready,” recalled a palace official.Though, this planned speech was abruptly postponed, with the official adding, “Later on we were surprised to learn that the speech had been postponed, maybe to Sunday morning.”
Adding to the growing unease, this official revealed that top officials remained unaware of a simultaneous, clandestine operation: the Syrian army’s destruction of its own archives through arson. The implications of this act, potentially aimed at concealing incriminating evidence, are far-reaching.
The situation escalated further on Saturday evening. A senior official close to Assad described a crucial phone call: “At around 9:00 pm (1800 GMT), the president calls his political adviser Buthaina Shaaban to ask her to prepare a speech for him, and to present it to the political committee which is meant to meet on Sunday morning.”
though, this attempt at interaction proved futile. “At 10:00 pm she calls him back, but he no longer picks up the phone,” the official stated. This breakdown in communication underscored the rapidly deteriorating situation.
Adding to the confusion, Assad’s media director, Kamel Sakr, initially assured journalists, “The president is going to deliver a statement very soon.” Yet, soon after, both Sakr and Interior Minister mohammed al-Rahmoun became unreachable.
The palace official’s account paints a picture of mounting tension. “The palace official said he stayed in his office until 2:30 am on Sunday,” a critical juncture before the rebels’ announcement less than four hours later that Assad was no longer in power.
The events in Damascus hold significant implications for the ongoing conflict in Syria and its global ramifications.The fall of Assad, if confirmed, would mark a pivotal moment in the region’s history, potentially triggering further instability and impacting U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
Damascus Falls to Rebel Forces in Stunning Overnight offensive
in a stunning and swift military operation, rebel forces seized control of Damascus, the capital of Syria, early Sunday morning. The fall of the city marks a dramatic turning point in the ongoing Syrian conflict, sending shockwaves throughout the region and raising concerns internationally.
The unexpected offensive left government officials scrambling and resulted in a chaotic mass exodus from the city.A high-ranking palace official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the scene as “frightening.” “Tens of thousands of cars leaving Damascus, and even more people marching on the road on foot. It was that moment I realised everything was lost and that Damascus had fallen,” the official recounted.
The official’s account details a night of escalating uncertainty. Initially, there was a sense of cautious optimism. “We were ready to receive a statement or a message from Assad at any moment,” the official stated. “That reassured us that he was in fact still there,” they added, referring to an earlier request for a cameraman for sunday morning.
Though, this sense of relief quickly evaporated. “But just before 2:00 am, an intelligence officer called to say all government officials and forces had left their offices and positions,” the official explained. The ensuing scene was one of utter confusion.”I was shocked. It was just the two of us in the office. The palace was almost empty, and we were totally confused,” the official recalled.
The official left the palace around 2:30 am,encountering a chaotic scene in the city centre. “Arriving at Umayyad Square, there were plenty of soldiers fleeing, looking for transportation,” they said. “there were thousands of them, coming from the security compound, the defense ministry and other security branches. We found out that their superiors had ordered them to flee.” The official described the situation as one of complete disarray, with the sheer number of fleeing soldiers and civilians underscoring the scale of the rebel victory.
The fall of Damascus raises significant questions about the future of the Syrian conflict and its potential implications for regional stability. The U.S. State Department has yet to release an official statement, but the situation is undoubtedly being closely monitored for its potential impact on American interests in the Middle East.
